[1993-04-02-WAR] Riki Choshu & Shinya Hashimoto vs Genichiro Tenryu & Takashi Ishikawa

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Another really good match between these guys, with all the drama and excitement I've come to expect. Tenryu's issue with Choshu is advanced, and Hashimoto even more so, as they have a pretty exciting pull-apart brawl after the match is over. Hashimoto secures the win for his team with a DDT on Ishikawa.

[Graham Crackers]

If you are having a tag match with as much hate and interpromotional beef as this then it better be chaotic and it better be violent. This delivers on all of that and then some. Fujinami was pretty good in the 3/23 tag but Hashimoto really brings this to another level. This would probably be the first time he and Tenryu had squared off and you'd think they were born to beat the shit out of each other, Choshu/Tenryu never gets old, and Ishikawa is great as the outclassed tough guy who won't quit. There's not much more I can really add to the discussion of this match.

[Phil Schneider]

Tremendous, tremendous match. Three of the all time great asskickers in professional wrestling history kicking major ass, and Ishikawa desperately trying to hold up his end. Really spectacular performance by Ishikawa, he was excellent as the burly, lumpy overmatched guy who was going to jump right into the fray. He was constantly cheap shotting the NJPW team from the apron, running in a stomping then in pin, clubbering them for behind. He both absorbed and delivered a beating worthy of the other three guys in the match. We get an awesome opening Tenryu v. Hashimoto scramble with both guys working crazy fast to grab and arm or leg. The match hits another gear when Choshu gets posted and starts bleeding, Tenryu may be the greatest "blood in the water" wrestler of all time, he just lasers in on the cut, punching and kicking Choshu right in his bloody head. Then we get a spectacular Hashimoto hot tag where he just splits guys in half with kicks, ending in a super hot finish run. I honestly though this was par with your high end All Japan tags of this period. Same level of heat and drama, just replacing the headrops with lariats and kicks to the eye and throat. Highest recommendation, WAR MOTHERFUCKER WAR!!!

[Frankensteiner]

Probably my favorite of all the WAR/NJ tags. Hash and Choshu, both bloodied and standing side by side in the entrance way after the match sums it up for me.

[FLIK]

Really ugly dirty fight, Hash is great bringing the fire, especially during the post match, great stuff.

[Zenjo]

Ishikawa was passable and didn't drag it down as much as I'd feared. It was fun between the others as GenTen had strong rivalries against each opponant. Both NJ men bled in this fractuous continuatiuon of the WAR. I want to see singles rather than more tags from now on.

[Kevin Ridge]

Ishikawa looked frightened at going head to head with Hashimoto. He gets cocky with Choshu and misses a dive. Second it goes outside Tenryu is all over Choshu. Tenryu just kicking Choshu in the face. Very pro NJPW crowd though. Choshu and Hash don’t look like the victors in the end.

[PeteF3]

Tenryu vs. Hash one on one has been one of the best-built matches on any of these Yearbooks. Another awesome brawl in an awesome feud, with Ishikawa looking as good as he's ever looked.

[WingedEagle]

Highest recommendation, WAR MOTHERFUCKER WAR!!!

 

 

Tenryu vs. Hash one on one has been one of the best-built matches on any of these Yearbooks. Another awesome brawl in an awesome feud, with Ishikawa looking as good as he's ever looked.

 

You could go with those 2 sentences, or even just 1 of them, and get the picture here. Intensity for Hash/Tenryu at the start is great. Stiff kicks and chops are great. Hash's kicks are almost the New Japan version of Misawa's elbows as a supreme equalizer. Tenryu's offense is so basic but he mixes it up with his speeds, intensity, facials and selling into an all time great package. Just spectacular. Tenryu throws down ref as the road team are clearly the faces here. Hash murders Tenryu with kicks on the ropes, but Ishikawa cuts him off with a great kick. Hash''s nose is busted open. Tenryu powerbombs Hash but Choshu breaks it up. Hash pins Ishikawa with a jumping DDT after countering with a kick while Tenryu tied up with Choshu. Tenryu keeps it going afterwards. Tenryu vs. Hash singles is still the big dream match teased and pushed. They've done such a good job building it that it almost has to be a little underwhelming when it comes, because the push has been that great. Almost. More greatness from this feud.

 

***3/4

[soup23]

This right here was an amazing match that I really enjoyed tremendously. This had the hate of the other matches in the feud but also had a few other moments rather it be the Choshu blade job, the little kicks that are half insult, half brutal by Tenryu on the cut, and perhaps the best hot tag I have ever seen when Hashimoto comes in. Put on that a dynamic crowd with each team having its pocket of fans and a crackling finish and start with Hashimoto and Tenryu and you have a completely amazing tag match and low-end MOTYC in my opinion. ****1/2

[ohtani's jacket]

Okay, this was about as awesome as it possibly could be. Tenryu and Hashimoto squared off exactly as you would expect and their exchanges gradually build from violent stares to nose busting strikes. I love the way Tenryu busts a guy open by just kicking away at an eye or a nose. The fact that both Choshu *and* Hashimoto ended up bleeding here was beautiful. The hot tag to Hashimoto where he unloaded on Tenryu was beautiful. And Tenryu beating on Choshu mercilessly while Hashimoto got the pin on Ishikawa was beautiful. Tenryu going after Hashimoto after the bell, shitty talking them on the mic and throwing the microphone at Choshu's face made this a hell of a lead-in to the Choshu rematch. This was another case where Tenryu seemed overwhelmed by the odds (Hashimoto and Choshu?), but didn't give a shit. I liked this a lot as a lead-in bout.

[garretta]

I didn't think as much of this as some of you did. It was a good solid match to be sure, but hardly one of the greats. The finish surprised me, as I thought they'd save the big NJPW win on WAR turf for a singles blowoff.

 

I know that Choshu, Hash, and Tenryu are going to bring it every time, but Ishikawa continues to impress me with how well he fits with Tenryu. When this feud ends, I'd love to see him in NJPW either in singles or tags.

 

I'm guessing that Hash's nose was at least bloodied for real, if not broken for real. That's hardly a surprise considering the kind of kicks the WAR team was throwing at it whenever they had the chance.

 

The ref got a little too involved for the kind of grudge match this was and got abused as a result, which served him right. Next time, he should take Gorilla Monsoon's advice and stay in the corner while these two sides fight it out.

 

My view of the finish was obstructed, so I didn't know Hash got the fall with the DDT until I read it here.

 

They're definitely pushing a Tenryu-Hash singles bout, judging from the video package we got at the end. If and when there is one, I hope we see it on the set!